The first AP Top 25 poll of the college football season has officially been released and offers up very view surprises. Week One of the season featured only a few marquee games as most of the teams on top stayed in place after facing over-matched opponents. However, a few teams still found ways to move around as Clemson jumped and Nebraska fell.
The Alabama Crimson Tide remains No. 1 in the poll, receiving 58 first-place votes after defeating Virginia Tech. Alabama struggled heavily on offense after replacing three starters on the offensive line. While they exceled in both defense and special teams, the offense will need some heavy tweaking before the big match against Texas A&M in Week 3. Christion Jones carried the Tide on his back scoring on a punt return, kickoff return and an AJ McCarron deep ball.
Clemson jumped to No. 4 in poll behind Oregon and Ohio State. The Tigers beat Georgia, currently who slid from No. 5 to No. 11. Clemson beat out the Bulldogs 38-35 at home. Tajh Boyd cemented himself in the Heisman Trophy discussion after making several key plays in the big win. Georgia must recover quickly. The Bulldogs will face No. 6 South Carolina, a key game in the race for the SEC Championship.
A surprise with this poll might be that Clemson did not get ranked higher. They were the only game featuring two top-10 opponents. The team looked impressive in all three phases of the game. Both Ohio State and Oregon played opponents that the casual college football fan would assume as a high school team.
Other key moves involve Nebraska who fell four spots to No. 22 after barely getting past Wyoming. The team managed a 37-34 win at home. It was the biggest drop by any team who won their season opener. Washington made a big jump as well. They started the season ranked outside the Top 25, but after defeating Boise State 38-6, they jumped up to No. 20 in the poll.
In the end, the AP Poll is nice, but it does not factor into the BCS rankings. This poll is really just a result of boxscores and media votes.
